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Brand Human Nature: A Long Breath for a Sustainable Message

Sometimes it’s the bold ideas that truly drive us forward. The ones that don’t promise quick success but require patience and perseverance. Marke Mensch Natur, a branding and design agency from Karlsruhe, had exactly such an idea: to see fashion not as a short-lived consumer good, but as an ambassador for a positive social attitude. Perfectly fitting for a branding and design agency whose focus is on societal design — creating and guiding authentic brands.

But stepping into the world of fashion turned out to be more challenging than expected — and yet, it was a journey full of valuable insights. Here’s the short story of 2.5 years of experience and learning.

The Dream: A Limited Edition with a Big Impact

The vision was clear: 300 longsleeves, each carrying a powerful message. No mass production, no excess — but conscious creation with purpose. Once all 300 were sold, the next 300 would follow. A sustainable principle that could only work with patience and a willingness to let go of high profit margins. No fast fashion, but "low fashion" with attitude.

 

With a dedicated partner and guide from the region, whom we met through a corporate fashion project, we had an experienced companion by our side. Having built his own successful fashion label, he brought valuable industry knowledge to the table — we learned from him, and he learned from our vision.

Production in Portugal was ready to go, and we were excited and proud to finally get started. The first five samples were finished after several rounds of feedback, and the project felt within reach — until one encounter put everything to the test.

A New Perspective: Circular Economy and the Search for the Right Production Partner

A CIRCO workshop on the topic of the circular economy, hosted by the Impact Hub Karlsruhe together with their Dutch colleagues and experts, opened up new perspectives. Could production in Germany be possible? Shorter transport routes, greater transparency, perhaps even better sustainability through reuse and recycling? And so much more…

 

After an intense, two-week CIRCO training program, we made the decision to realize the project in Germany. We openly shared our new plan with our partner and guide and asked our production in Portugal to send the remaining fabric from our sample production to Germany.

We found a German sewing factory and, after an initial conversation, we were very optimistic. “We can make this happen at a similar price,” they told us. So we had our sample fabric shipped to the German factory. But when the delivery arrived, they told us the fabric couldn’t possibly be the right one. After a lot of back and forth, we finally received a photo of the delivery — and we were shocked: our fabric roll had been mixed up during shipping or transport. Weeks later, however, it was too late to trace the incorrect delivery any further.

 

When we finally received a real offer with pricing for our longsleeve, it turned out that just the sewing alone would cost us twice as much. As communication with the factory became increasingly strained, it was clear they had little interest in producing a small batch of “only” 300 pieces. And of course, our vision of fashion as a statement of social responsibility wasn’t exactly profitable enough for them. Understandably so — why go out of your way for an unknown project when your own production is already running smoothly? Something we picked up on — not directly said, but clearly implied — through delays and vague excuses.

The Hoodie Fabric: Chin up, straighten your crown — and keep believing in the vision

But one thing was certain: Our vision and our belief in this project were stronger than any setback. Instead of the fine black material we had originally planned for our longsleeves, we now had a thick, beige fabric — much more suitable for hoodies. So what now? We started looking for a meaningful way to use the fabric and got in touch with a small sewing studio near Lake Constance. The owner also taught at a fashion design school, so we visited her on a beautiful spring day — bringing along two key questions:

  • What could we create from this hoodie fabric?
  • Could she possibly help us bring our project to life?

Together, we explored the possibilities. But it quickly became clear: even here, producing 300 pieces would have been far too time-consuming and economically unfeasible. The fabric would have been manufactured in Denmark, the sewing studio would have created samples, after final approval the shirts would be sent to the next station to have sustainability labels added, then moved on to another facility for printing — and only then would we receive the finished pieces.

In the end, this process had little left to do with our original idea of a circular economy.

But something good also came out of this meeting

We donated the incorrectly delivered hoodie fabric to the fashion design school, where it became the foundation for a student project on the theme of “Societal Design”. The students really connected with the topic, immersed themselves in it, and designed initial motifs and patterns. They had a real project with a clear brief that we sent them — and had a lot of fun doing it!

 

Now that our GoodMorning.World shop is live, it would be interesting to offer the student-designed hoodies in the shop or roll them out later. The proceeds could go back to the students — if they’re willing to part with their handmade hoodies, of course. ;-) We’ll follow up on this.

Let the Streets Speak!

The idea lives on — through different paths. Not in the form of stockpiles, but in strong statements on sustainable fashion. The message remains the same: A better, more conscious world starts with what we do — and what we wear. GoodMorning.World – Brand Human Nature.

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